Constitutional Crisis

“All that aside, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”

In the professional financial advisor part of my social media feeds, all is well. Much ado about tax season, market commentary and the like. You would have no idea that we are presently living in a country in the throes of a constitutional crisis.

We are living in a country in the throes of a constitutional crisis.

So, indulge me as I use this forum — which I would normally dedicate to wisdom about saving or planning for retirement and the like — to talk about the present perilous state of our democracy. Nothing that you are witnessing right now is “politics as usual.” We are not living in normal times. Our first obligation as citizens is to realize that.

Every elected representative has one job and one job only: to defend the Constitution and the laws of this country. That’s the oath that they take. As Administrations come and go, priorities and politics change, but that oath does not waiver.

A bedrock of our democracy is checks and balances. Congress appropriates money according to the law and the Executive Branch is obligated to spend that money in accordance with the law. If the Executive is unhappy with that, they are free to offer alternative ideas which can be formulated into new legislation and if passed, implemented. But you don’t get to stomp your feet, stick your fingers in your ears and subvert the will of the people just because you disagree.

Civil servants are also bound to uphold and implement the law, regardless of who is in office. It’s pretty much in the title “civil servant.” They serve the Constitution, not any individual. To enable them to do that, many years ago as a country we created a set of laws to ensure that they are able to fulfill their duty without political interference. Very specifically, they cannot be relieved of their duty without cause to make room for others whose allegiance is not to the law.

It is the solemn obligation of our elected House Representatives and Senators to assert their Constitutional duty to compel the Executive to Follow. The. Damn. Law. And it is your duty as a citizen to contact your Representatives and Senators and insist that they fulfill this obligation.